


All Our Stars Shine Brighter Together

by Moonflower999



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hanukkah, Holiday Fic Exchange, M/M, Winter Solstice, Yule
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-02-13 10:37:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 16,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12982260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonflower999/pseuds/Moonflower999
Summary: Over the years, Arthur, Merlin & their friends have transformed their December into a frenzy of celebrations of an array of holidays. Unfortunately, this hectic glut of parties and gatherings  is exhausting and brings as much dread as joy to many of them. Uther and Hunith, however, may just put their heads together to find a solution. A little snow, lots of food, laughter, celebration, and more than a little love.





	1. Tahiti?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ravyn_ashling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravyn_ashling/gifts).



> Hi Rayvn! Nice to meet you! I wasn't sure I could do any of your prompts well, so instead I tried to fit almost everything you said you liked into this story, and ended up with the longest story I've ever written. What an experience it's been for me! Thanks for a request that ended up helping me push past my self-created boundaries. I dearly hope I managed to get some stuff in there that you'll like! Wishing you a wonderful winter and the happiest of any holidays that you celebrate!
> 
> Many thanks to the wonderful mods for their hard work and patience. This exchange is a wonderful gift you've given the fandom!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little seasonal overwhelm hits the Pendragon-Emrys household.

“Merlin, how does three weeks in Tahiti sound? And can we leave next week?”

“What…,” said Merlin, and then he interrupted his own question with laughter. “Oh my god, what a brilliant idea. You just want to skip all this holiday hullaballoo, don’t you?” 

Arthur leaned back in his desk chair, closed his eyes, and nodded glumly. Merlin came up behind him, rubbed his shoulders, and began to nuzzle into his soft, fresh-smelling hair. He felt Arthur begin to relax at his touch and said, “Mmm, sometimes I want nothing more than to lock ourselves away, all alone together, for weeks on end. Just you and me.” He swiveled Arthur around in his chair, knelt down, and drew him into a kiss. Arthur slid down to the floor and put his arms around his partner. Mirror images, each buried his head into the other’s neck. They quietly breathed each other in, softening in one another’s arms, and releasing the stresses of the day--until eventually one, and then the other, began to giggle. Finally, again, one mirroring the other, they sat, cross-legged, knee to knee, holding hands.

“It really is too much,” sighed Merlin. “And Tahiti does sound wonderful. Though I would miss seeing my mum, and Will…and everyone, really. I have a big job due in January--and anyway I know there’s no way you can get three weeks off on short notice.” He reached over and trailed his fingers along Arthur’s cheek before leaning in for a kiss.

Arthur smiled into his husband’s kiss as a thought occurred to him. “I suppose I would miss seeing the kids open their presents,” he said, chuckling. “Morgana and Will won’t be thanking us, but the kids are going to love the gifts I’ve ordered, beginning with the drum set and ending with the spatterpaint kit!” 

Merlin laughed. “Let no one ever say Arthur Pendragon is not passive aggressive! I know you have fantasies of Morgana limping around the house cursing you out when she breaks a heel on a stray Lego.”  


>p?

Arthur smirked. “Did you know there are actually websites with lists of gifts parents hate the most? Fortunately, a lot of them are the gifts kids love best! That’s why we are their favorite relatives. They should have links to purchase the items on the website, but I guess they don’t realize anyone is using ‘What Not To Buy’ as a shopping list. Anyway, it’s payback for when she gave us those sex toys in front of everyone. Thank goodness her kids were too little to understand. Unfortunately, my father understood just fine.” 

Merlin arched his back into a stretch and rolled his neck around. “As much as I love the holidays, it is exhausting. It’s great that our circle of friends and family has grown. It’s good to see everyone and celebrate our holidays together, but it’s just too much.” He shrugged helplessly. “I really don’t know what to do. I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”

Arthur stood and pulled out the file of carryout menus. “Thai tonight?” he asked. 

“Yeah, I’ll have the massaman.”

After Arthur placed the order, Merlin joined him on the sofa, and they came back to the topic at hand. “I actually like hosting, but then going to another five or six parties over the next few weeks on top of that becomes a drag,” said Arthur.

“Which parties do you like best?” Merlin asked. 

“I enjoy everything--from Lance’s Chanukah menorah and potato pancakes to Gwen’s Kwanzaa thing....”

“Oh!” interrupted Merlin, “Don’t forget the fun of seeing Gwaine and Percy pretend they’re just roommates when they have us all over. I really think they’re still at least half pretending to themselves, don’t you?”

“Yeah. Sometimes I wonder if either one will ever get the nerve up to let the other know they stopped being just fuckbuddies well over a year ago. If they don’t come to terms with it soon, I wouldn’t be surprised if Morgana doesn’t stage an intervention. It’s just the kind of thing my sister relishes most!” said Arthur, setting the table for dinner.

“I picked up some fresh apple cider today,” said Merlin, setting a jug onto the table, and returned to the topic at hand. "Yeah, there’s no question about it. We need to figure out something different for the holidays. We can’t be the only ones. By the end of it all I feel so sick of all the holiday food and parties that I hardly even enjoy Christmas dinner.”

“So, what should we do?” asked Arthur, pouring two tall glasses of the cold cider.

“I dunno, maybe I’ll ask my mum for some advice when I call her tomorrow.”  



	2. Morgana and Will

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, on the other side of town...

“Will, I just cannot do the whole holiday thing this year!” announced Morgana, collapsing onto the sofa after putting their youngest to bed.  
Will plopped down next to Morgana, lifted her feet into his lap, and began to rub them. She groaned and sunk down into the cushions. Will loved seeing his sharp, elegant, wife relax this way. He still felt privileged and at least a little awed to be the one person who Morgana really let herself relax with.

“So, what do you think we should give up this year?” asked Will.

“That’s just it. I really don’t know. I hate missing things. Each thing is fun--whether it’s Arthur and Merlin’s Yule, or Percy and Gwaine’s Christmas, Gwen and Lance’s Chanukah/Kwanzaa extravaganza--what do we cut out?” Morgana sat up, nestled into Will’s arms, and continued, “I love exposing the kids to the different holidays and traditions, and I want them to see all their aunties and uncles. I know everyone thinks I’m a hard-arse, but I do worry about hurt feelings if we go to some of the parties and not others. I can’t be the only one who feels this way.”

Will tangled his hand in Morgana’s hair and tilted in for a kiss. He was worried about her overdoing it. “They’ll have to understand. I just….Well, I just want to make sure we go to Hunith, at least--even if just for a bit.”

“Of course. And we have to see my father too. But, well, I think maybe everything else should be optional, including our own party.”

“Yeah. We can just do a little Yule circle here on the solstice--just us and the kids--simple. I’d be ok with that.”

“I feel bad about it, but I think it’s for the best,” said Morgana.

Will turned Morgana around in his arms and kissed her forehead. “I’m really happy you’re not pushing yourself so hard. You’re my world, you know?”  
“I hope you and the kids aren’t too disappointed.” Morgana frowned.  


Will reached up to smooth the creases from her brow and said, “As long as we’re together, I’m happy. The kids will be fine. Showing them that we all have our limits isn’t a bad thing. I’ll talk to Hunith, and then we’ll figure out who we can visit this year. I’ll even make our apologies to those we can’t get to,” said Will.

Will glanced at the staircase to make sure there were no prying eyes around, grinned, pushed Morgana back into the sofa and went in for a kiss. “Besides, if we’re not so wrung out, maybe we’ll have a little more time for some loving!”


	3. Gwen and Lancelot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More bumps in the road.

“Sweetheart, I’m home,” Lance called into the apartment as he dropped his bag by the door and kicked off his shoes.

  
“I’m in the kitchen, love!”

  
Lance found Gwen at the table paying bills on her laptop. He kissed the top of her head and put up the kettle to boil. “How was your day?” he asked.

  
Gwen shut the laptop and said, “Well, I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”

  
“Hmmm…good, I guess.”

  
“Ok, so the good news is that I get all ten days at the end of December off.”

“And the bad?” Lance asked, furrowing his brow in concern.

“The bad news is that I have to work to cover the emergency room every single weekend until Christmas Eve.”

“Oh. Wow. So, there’s no way…”

Gwen nodded, interrupting, “There is no way we can host our Chanukah/Kwanzaa party. And I’ll hardly be able to go to any of the gang’s parties during the month. I’m so, so sorry.” Gwen shut her laptop and retrieved the tin of biscuits from the shelf.

Lance felt a small thrill run up his arms as he watched her stretch up to reach the biscuits. Every so often he found himself overwhelmed with the realization that Gwen was his, that he had won her heart, and that she had actually married him. He shook his head in wonder, poured tea for them both, and sat down with his wife. “It’s ok. There will be other years. Honestly, this whole month of holiday extravaganzas has grown to be a bit much these last few years.”

“There’s not much I can do about it. I hope everyone understands. I’ll miss seeing them. I wonder if we’re the only ones who feel this is all a bit much.”


	4. Hunith Places A Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Hunith has a solution.

Uther was just contemplating turning in for the night when the phone rang.

“Hunith, is everything alright?”

“Hello, Uther. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“No, no, not at all. What can I do for you?” Uther answered as he paced the room.

“Well, it’s nothing awful, but I’m a bit concerned about our boys. I’ve heard from Merlin, and after quite a bit of hemming and hawing, the bottom line is that they are quite stressed out about all their holiday obligations, and not sure how to handle it all. I thought maybe you and I could come up with some plans and step in to make things a bit easier for them.”

Uther settled down in his desk chair. “Interesting. I just heard from Morgana yesterday. She also sounded quite overwhelmed. I’ve never known Morgana to back down from a challenge, so I was a little taken aback.”

“Are you free for dinner tomorrow? I was thinking we elders could knock heads together and apply a little of our hard-earned wisdom towards helping the kids out. I’ll get a nice roast.”

“I don’t know how I can help, but I would like that,” answered Uther. “I can be there by six.”

“Perfect,” said Hunith. “See you then!”

  
************

 

“This is the nicest meal I’ve had in months.” Uther leaned back in his chair and laid his napkin on the table.

“Oh please, you old flatterer, there’s no way that’s true. Your cook is fantastic.” Hunith tried to turn away before Uther noticed her blush.

For his part, Uther was a bit startled to notice how lovely Hunith looked as the flush of color stained her cheeks. “Actually, Nellie retired, and I decided not to replace her. She taught me a few basic dishes before she left, and, with enough notice, she and her sister are still available for special occasions.”

“Well, who would have imagined Uther Pendragon fending for himself in the kitchen! How is that going for you?”

Uther’s look said it all. “Would you mind sharing your recipe for these potatoes, Hunith?”

“Of course,” she said, laughing. “And listen, feel free to call anytime you need some cooking advice.” Clearing the table, she added, “So, I had some thoughts about this holiday dilemma.”

“Yes, well, before we start, may I say something long overdue?”

“Why, yes, of course!”

“Yes, well…” Uther straightened in his chair. “As you know, we are very different people, from very different worlds…”

Hunith’s full attention was on Uther as she nodded in agreement.

 

“... and we would likely never have met if not for our boys choosing each other.”

“No, I suppose that is true enough.”

“I know I was a bit--difficult--when they decided to marry.”

“Well, yes, a bit.”

Uther sat stiffly. He had learned very young not to allow himself to squirm, even in the most uncomfortable situations. “I want to offer my sincerest apologies for my gracelessness. I feel the need to apologize--and to say that I have never been so glad to have had my opinion ignored. I’ve never seen Arthur so happy.”

“Aww…”

“…and you are a very special mum,” Uther rushed ahead, unwilling to stop until he’d said it all. “You have raised a wonderful young man. And Arthur’s never had a mother, and I can’t help but be happy for him that he now has you too.”

Hunith dabbed at the corner of her eyes with the edge of her tea towel.

“Why Uther, that’s just the sweetest…”

“Yes, well, so let’s hear this idea of yours for the holidays,” interrupted Uther, changing the subject abruptly.

Ever kind and sensitive, Hunith let the moment pass. “So, the problem is that as the kids have made more connections and built this hodgepodge of a family by blood, by marriage, and by choice, there are just too many places to go and people to see. They celebrate Christmas with each of us, their own Yule party, Chanukah and Kwanzaa with Gwen and Lance, then there’s Morgana and Will’s Yule/Solstice gathering...and something or other with Merlin and Will’s best friend. Gwaine, and his maybe-sort-of-boyfriend/roommate. Freya probably won’t be hosting a party at her café this year since it’s been such a rough year for her…but I know they’ll want to see her too. And I just know Merlin wouldn’t think of skipping a visit with his uncle Gaius for the holidays.”

“It’s really rather dizzying, isn’t it?” Uther sighed, pensive. “It brings back memories of my first years with...Ygraine. We tripped the light fantastic, as they used to say. But then, in those days we maintained a full staff to cater to our every whim.”

“It’s wonderful,” Hunith nodded enthusiastically. “I’m really happy for them. Merlin and I were alone for so long. Thank goodness for Gaius. But even when Merlin, Will, and Gwaine became inseparable friends, for most holidays it was just Merlin and Gaius and me. I can’t tell you how comforting it is for me to see him surrounded by this extended family.”

“I understand, Hunith. Who doesn’t want that for their children? Especially as we get older and realize we won’t be here forever.”

Hunith again nodded in agreement, then steeled herself to continue with her proposal. “So, I was thinking that what they really need is a much less stressful December, but without giving up the opportunity to see each other and to celebrate everyone’s holidays together. And, well….Well, how would you feel about helping me host a One Big Happy Family Holiday Celebration?”

“Go on.”

“So instead of coming to me on Christmas Eve and then running to you on Christmas Morning, we’d all come to you. Everyone.” Hunith glanced up nervously at Uther, only to find his best poker face which gave her not a clue to his reaction. She took a breath and continued, “For a few days.”

“Everyone? For a few days?” Uther repeated flatly.

“Um, uh, yes. To celebrate everything.”

“Everything? Everyone?”

Uther just looked at Hunith blankly for a moment, and then his eyes lit up, and Hunith could see him fighting a tiny smile. “Yes. Yes, I would..” Suddenly, his face fell, and he smacked his forehead. “Unfortunately, I don’t believe Nellie and her sister will be available.”

“Nellie? Nonsense! That’s where I come in! And if you’re nice, old man, I’ll teach you a few of my famous recipes. Now, how many guest rooms do you have? And are they ready for use?”

Uther looked a bit befuddled. “I don’t really know. I mean, at least three or four of the guest rooms have gotten some use, but…”

Hearing the anxiety in Uther’s voice ratchet up, Hunith interrupted, “Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ll come over and we’ll figure it out. Meanwhile, I’ll start making calls tomorrow to see who can come. I was thinking we can ask each guest if they’d like to share any of their holiday traditions or dishes.”

Again, Uther seemed to calm, only to reveal a fresh wave of panic. “Gifts! I have to start buying gifts! Hunith, I have no idea what to get. Can you give me a list of names, ages, and interests, so I can get someone to buy the gifts?”

“Don’t worry, Uther. We can do it together! We’ve got this. It will be just grand!”

Uther nodded briskly, and said, “I look forward to working on this with you, Hunith. I place myself in your obviously capable hands.”

  
**************

  
Hunith stood at the open door and waved until Uther pulled his car from the curb. Closing the door gently, she headed to the kitchen to tidy up. Some minutes later, she found herself still standing in the doorway to the kitchen, staring at the used tea cups. She had had a lovely evening and was surprised to suddenly find herself shaken. Uther’s excitement about having a full house for the holidays betrayed a vulnerability and loneliness he generally kept well hidden. Hunith was a busy woman, with many ties in her community, and yet something about that essential loneliness resonated deep within. She had grown accustomed to living alone, but found herself sighing at the memory of the days when the house seemed so alive, first with Balinor, then with Merlin and his best-mates, Will and Gwaine, who were always underfoot. She finished in the kitchen and then headed up to bed, yearning, for the first time in years for someone to keep her warm through the night.

  
***************

  
Uther drove up the allée approaching his empty country house. The bare branches of the elms lining both sides of the drive reached up into the dark sky, illuminated only by the full moon and the car’s headlights. He sighed at the vast emptiness of the house. Of course, he had an estate manager who arranged for housekeeping and landscape maintenance, but he hadn’t realized until Nellie left how much he would miss having someone else living in the mansion. He was too settled in his ways to enjoy the prospect of moving, and he really did hope to keep the estate in the family. Maybe it was time to consider passing it on to Arthur or Morgana, if they would have it? Or at least maybe he should consider hiring some live-in help again. Uther pulled up near the front door, turned off the engine, and smiled to himself as he imagined all the comings and goings he could look forward to over the next few weeks.

  
******************

  
“Hello, Hunith. It’s Uther. Uther Pendragon.”

  
“Yes, Uther,” Hunith chuckled, “you do know you’re the only Uther I know, don’t you?”

Uther quickly launched into an anxious rant about dusty rooms and linens that simply refused to be found. “Hunith, I really think we will need to call this off!”

“Uther. Uther! Stop. Everything will be fine. I’ll be there after lunch. We can assess the situation and figure out what needs to be done.”  
Hunith hung up the phone with a smile, shaking her head in amusement. She gathered her lists and made a few more phone calls.


	5. Really, Merlin?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Arthur has qualms.

Merlin couldn’t wait to tell Arthur the developments when he got off the phone with his mother. Arthur was somewhat bemused, and at least a little concerned.

“Really, Merlin? My father with a whole house full of guests? Including Percy and Gwaine? Gwaine and my father having Christmas dinner together? I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Maybe I’d better bring that shield and armor from Halloween—just in case I need to break up a tussle or protect us from flying dinner plates.”

“Mum wanted all the details: what we celebrate with who, what special customs everyone shares, what special dishes people make. She thought it would be nice if we each share something from our own holiday traditions.”

Arthur handed Merlin a towel as he stepped from the shower. “Well, that sounds like a nice idea. I just wonder how Uther will ruin it.”

Merlin expected Arthur’s cynicism and refused to let it dampen his excitement. “We were thinking, since we all have days off from work, that we could make this a multi-day celebration. Your father is looking forward to hosting us all for a few days. So instead of running around to several parties all month long, and each taking turns hosting, we’ll all get together for a few days at the end of the month. We can start off with celebrating Chanukah and the solstice, then there will be Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and finally Boxing Day and Gwen’s Kwanzaa.”

Arthur stood frozen, toothbrush in his mouth, staring at Merlin. He finally put the toothbrush down, rinsed, and looked back at his husband. “You have got to be fuckin’ kidding me. You want me to spend multiple days in my father’s house... _With my father there_?”

Merlin shuffled his feet nervously and directed his most winsome grin at Arthur. “Let’s try this, darlin’. Look, at some point you and your father will have to get to a better place. He’s been trying. It’s ok to forgive him.”

“I know that you are right, Merlin. But I don’t know if I really can,” said Arthur. “I really just don’t know.”

“The house is really big, and there will be such a crowd that you probably won’t have to even interact much with your father if you don’t choose to. I’m sure he’ll be on his best behavior in public. And mum will be there--she’s magic at helping smooth the waters--well, not magic, but, well, you know what I mean...”

At that, Arthur pursed his lips and side-eyed Merlin carefully. “Are you sure there isn’t something you are not telling me, Merlin?”

Merlin just ignored him. “Look, we’ll all get a bit of a break, but we’ll get to spend time together and share in each others’ celebrations. Mum said she could handle a lot of the meals, with some help from all of us, but that it would be nice if anyone wants to make any of their traditional holiday foods.”

Arthur just shook his head. “I can’t believe father agreed to this! He must have been bewitched! C’mon, fess up. Are you holding out on me? Does Hunith really have magic too?”

“It will be fun, yeah? said Merlin, completely ignoring Arthur's question. At least it’s worth trying something different—and since Tahiti is out of the question—well, why not?”

Arthur agreed, hesitantly. “If it means so much to you--I’m not looking forward to spending so much time around my father--but at least this month will be more sane. Though it may end with quite a bang.” Arthur pulled on his t-shirt and climbed into bed.

Merlin slid under the covers and rolled into Arthur’s arms. “Give it time, yeah? He is who he is, but he does love you.”

“I can’t believe how accepting you are of him, when he did not give you the same courtesy,” said Arthur, brushing the hair out of Merlin’s eyes, and pulling him for a kiss.

“So, let’s plan to make our famous Yule log cake and eggnog. And we’ll bring a few board games, and maybe some good music?” suggested Merlin.

“Oh god, yes. We cannot listen to my father’s choice in music for days on end!”

  
“Haha, my mother’s choices might not be that much better. We’ll tell Morgana and Will to bring some good stuff too.”

“I wonder how father is taking all this.”

“According to my mum, he’s like a deer in the headlights—she’s helping with all the planning.”

“I’ll bet,” Arthur answered darkly, closing his eyes and sinking into his pillow. “I’ll just bet.”

“Hey,” said Merlin, “I checked, and I have nothing lined up yet for April or May. How about you see if you can get a couple of weeks off then? I wouldn’t mind being swept off my feet and whisked away to Tahiti. I may have done a little research, and May is one of the best months to holiday in Tahiti. The weather sounds perfect.”

Arthur’s face lit up. He jumped out of bed. He bounced around the room like an excited puppy and turned on his laptop. “We’ll try for the beginning of May! I’m emailing Mithian, Elyan, and Elena right now. I’m quite sure that I can take some days off then. Ellie’s kids are still in school--so as long as we’re back for her to take a break at half term that should be ok. Mith just came back from that big trip. So we’re golden as long as Elyan isn’t thinking of taking off then. I’ll try to book the tickets tomorrow!” said Arthur, as he sat down to email his business partners.

Merlin snuggled into his pillow, watching Arthur. “Hey Arthur…”

“Hmmm?” Arthur didn’t look up.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too. I'll just be a sec. Don't you dare fall asleep!”


	6. Lists And Possibilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunith takes charge.

Hunith drove up the long drive to Uther’s country house. Her thoughts were full of lists and possibilities. She had gotten more information from Merlin and Morgana, and had been very busy calling all of their closest friends. Everyone understood, and all were receptive to changing things up this holiday season. She now had a stack of emails with contact information, shopping lists, allergies, holiday party traditions, etc. Morgana, who was considered a fantastic gift giver, had promised to provide her with a list of ideas for gifts for each person who would be coming.

After standing outside Uther’s rather imposing front door for a couple of minutes, Hunith found herself startled when the man himself finally appeared. She had never seen Uther with even a hair out of place, so his ruffled appearance startled her. His expression warred with itself...as both anxiety and relief alternately played across his features. “Thank God you are here, Hunith. Come in, come in!”

Uther was about to drag Hunith off to examine the upstairs bedrooms when she stopped him, declared that she’d like a cup of tea first, and that the earth would not fail to continue spinning if they took a little time to sit down and discuss things before launching into action.  
They were settled at the table with a pot of tea and a plate of the biscuits Hunith had brought with her. She took out the notebook full of lists. Uther seemed to visibly calm as he saw how organized she was, and the planning became more concrete.

“Ok, so let’s take a look around and figure out how many bedrooms we will be able to make available without too much fuss. If we can, we’ll give each couple their own room.”  
Some hours later, all the lists had been checked and double-checked. Rooming arrangements had been determined, the menus were set, shopping lists were done, linens were located, and they had made a schedule for shopping for gifts and food.

“If you would like, I can stay here after we shop and you can help me do some of the holiday cooking in advance,” offered Hunith. “You did say that you would like me to help you with your cooking skills.”

“Um, er, alright. Yes. Why not,” Uther replied stoically. He was absolutely not used to being out of his element and wasn’t sure at all how he felt about all this change.  



	7. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whiskers on kittens and brown paper packages?

A few days before Christmas Hunith called Uther with a bit of trepidation. “I’m really sorry, Uther, but I’ve got a complication!”

“Absolutely not! You cannot desert me now, Hunith! There’s no way I can pull this off without you!” Uther began to pace the room frantically.

“Well, the thing is, you know Aithusa, the little stray I told you I found the other day? I’m just back from the veterinarian. Her leg got infected. I’ll need to be keeping an eye on her, and I have to give her antibiotics three times a day for the next week. I hate to ask, but can I bring her with me? She’s house-trained, and really very sweet.”

“Yes, yes, bring her here! My tom, Kilgharrah, will not be happy about it, but he won’t be happy about all the company either. Killy is a bit of a recluse. I don’t like to stress him overly, but it’s a big house, and he can stay out of the way for a few days. Anyway, I need you here!”

“Ok, then, thanks for understanding. I’ll see you tomorrow morning--and then it’s full on holiday frenzy!”

********************

Hunith arrived carrying a small white kitten in a pet carrier. Uther helped bring her things up to one of the guest rooms. After she settled in, they finished all the shopping. Since Nellie’s retirement, Uther had begun to brave the task of grocery shopping, and was proud to show Hunith that he knew where to find the celery.

The fridge was now loaded with all kinds of holiday foods, and there were extra coolers for the overflow. A huge array of gifts were set on the dining room table along with lists, name tags, wrapping paper, tape and scissors. Hunith had shown Uther how to wrap gifts, and he’d been quite pleased to pick up the skill rather quickly. In fact, he’d even succeeded at a few of the fancier tricks, and had proudly set a handmade bow on one of the last packages.

Finally, when nearly all of the gifts had been wrapped, Uther grabbed a small jewelry box containing a bracelet he had bought for Morgana. He looked for the name tag Hunith had made out for her, but it was nowhere to be found. “Hunith, I can’t find Morgana’s gift tag.”

Hunith came over and helped Uther search. “It must have fallen on the floor,” she said, bending down to look under the table. They looked everywhere for the stray tag. Then they looked at all the gifts to see if they had made a mistake and put Morgana’s tag on someone else’s gift.  
Bingo. Morgana’s tag was on a big bulky package. Consulting her list, Hunith said, “This package should be for Freya, that’s the only tag that’s left. But we got her a nice set of canisters, that’s something like a sweater, the canisters are in a big square box. I guess we’ve got to open it to see what it is, then we’ll know who it’s for.” They opened the package and realised the gift was the soft cashmere throw they’d gotten Gwen, but one problem led to another--there was no tag for Gwen, and there was no way of knowing which of four large square boxes were the canisters for Freya.

Two hours, and quite a lot of unwrapping and rewrapping later, the gifts were all sorted properly. “There. That’s the last one,” said Hunith, stretching her arms and yawning.

Uther smiled at her. “That was much less horrible than it should have been. Come to the kitchen. I can make you scrambled eggs and toast. Or would you prefer grilled cheese? Or I have some nice ready frozen meals I’ve stocked in from one of my favorite restaurants?”

Hunith put up the kettle and brewed a pot of her favorite decaf herbal concoction, while Uther warmed up two of the ready meals. The tea was one of Gaius’ special blends. The fragrance of mint, lemon peel and rosehips filled the room as she poured a cup for each of them.

“I can’t believe you’ve gotten me to drink this stuff,” groused Uther.

“You know you are loving it. Admit it.”

“Yes. I am. And I do. I admit it. I really am loving it. All of it,” said Uther, busying himself with studying his tea to make sure it was just the right color.

  
*****************************

  
Uther awoke to the lovely smell of a fry up. After a delicious, hearty breakfast, the two set to work on food preparation. Hunith wanted to have several types of biscuits, puddings and other foods prepared before any of the guests arrived. Everything was going very well. The last biscuits to be finished were the Russian Tea Cakes. Uther had mastered the art of creaming the butter and sugar earlier, and then he had perfected his technique for rolling the little biscuits into round balls. They had talked and laughed and had skipped lunch, but had taken a few breaks to indulge in generous samplings of the baked goods accompanied by pots of strong hot tea. The tea cakes had now been removed from the oven, and a large dish of icing sugar awaited their arrival. “Just roll each one until it’s well covered in the sugar,” Hunith instructed.

Just as Uther finished rolling the last of the cookies, they heard the most horrendous screeching and yowling. In a blur of motion, Kilgharrah chased Aithusa into the kitchen. Aithusa tried to climb up the curtains, and Killy jumped up onto the counter, tail fluffed out, hissing and yowling. He landed right on the dish of icing sugar. The dish full of sugar flew off the counter, and dusted Uther liberally as it crashed to the floor.

“Oh Uther! I’m so sorry! I’m so, so…,” Hunith sputtered and began to laugh. She was laughing so hard that she had to sit down and catch her breath. Finally, she settled down and looked at Uther who was simply staring at her, bewildered.

Uther and Kilgharrah were accustomed to leading a fairly sedate lifestyle. As Uther stood in his kitchen, confronted with an hysterical cat and a--perhaps equally--hysterical woman, he didn’t know what he was feeling. His desire for control warred with something unfamiliar and at least a little...delicious. What was this wild and unpredictable feeling? Was it joy? He thought maybe he might like to feel it again, and yet again. Uther lifted Kilgharrah from the counter, put him down, and turned back to Hunith. Some strange impulse overtook him, and he ran his hand through the sugar on the counter, gathered it into his hand, stepped close to Hunith, pursed his lips, and blew the sugar right at her.

Hunith gasped, and Uther couldn’t help it--he began to...giggle. For the first time in memory, he laughed so hard that he cried. Finally, both with rosy cheeks and shining eyes, they swept up the mess, cleaned the counter, and gave Killy a bath. Uther retreated to the master suite to clean himself up.

When Uther came back downstairs, he found Hunith waiting for him, ready to go out. “Come on then, I’m taking you to the pub for dinner.”  
Again, he wondered at the strange sensation that ran up and down his spine. Hunith held out her hand, and Uther took it. He was surprised to find himself reluctant to let go when they reached Hunith’s little car. It wasn’t easy to go with the flow. He hadn’t ever had a woman take the lead, and he didn’t think he’d ever been in quite so small a car, but somehow he didn’t think he wanted to resist.


	8. First Arrivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein the guests settle in.

The next morning dawned bright and chilly. It was a beautiful, bright beginning to the first full day of winter. Hunith and Uther were just putting away their breakfast things when a small whirlwind raced through the room. “Grandad, I’m here!” screeched five year old Hawthorn, as he jumped into Uther’s lap. The reprimand died on Uther’s lips as the small spitfire clung to his neck. How he wished he had allowed Arthur this kind of display of joyful affection, but he pushed his regrets aside for the time being and focused on his enthusiastic grandson.

“Is this really little Thorn? How big you have gotten! Say a nice hello to Hunith and let’s go find your mum. Where’s Yarrow?”

Just then, eight year old Yarrow came into the kitchen dragging a tremendous, awkwardly wrapped object. “This is for you, grand-dad. But you mustn’t open it yet! I made it myself!” She leaned the object against the wall, and came to kiss her grandfather, then turned and shyly greeted Hunith. They all headed out to the front door to welcome Morgana and Will.

Morgana embraced Hunith warmly, “This was a wonderful idea, Hunith. I’m so happy you were able to talk my old man into hosting.”  
She turned to Uther, “And father, I’m quite proud of you for stepping so far outside of your comfort zone. There just might be hope for you yet,” she said, embracing him and kissing his cheek. Uther scowled at her, but there was no heat in it, and if he held the embrace a bit longer than usual, no one was going to say anything about it.

“Hello, sir, thank you for having us,” said Will, “the kids are so excited about spending a few days with their grandad, and I’m so glad that we’ll also get to spend more time with Hunith.” At that Will gave Hunith a huge bear hug. “I’ve missed you, Other-mum. You’re looking well!”

“Father,” said Morgana, “I do hope you don’t mind that I used my key without knocking first; the kids really wanted to surprise you.”

“No, not at all,” said Uther, beaming at his brood. “Hang your coats up. Morgana, I assumed you and Will would like your room, and that the children would be happy in the old playroom?”

“Yes, that will be fine, father.”

“But first do you want to see what we’ve done? We’ll need your help....”

“Uther,” interrupted Hunith, “I think that maybe they should get settled and have breakfast first. It must have been a hectic morning for them.”

A look of irritation flashed across Uther’s face swiftly followed by one of contrition. “Of course, you’re right. Go get settled, and come have some breakfast. Hunith has all kinds of nice things to eat in the kitchen.”

Hunith placed her hand on Uther’s arm and gave a little squeeze, but she was gone before the warmth of that gesture penetrated Uther’s consciousness.

After breakfast, Morgana was amazed and delighted to see all the preparations. She oohed and aahed at the stacks of beautifully wrapped gifts, the platters of cookies and cakes, the fridge full of trays of prepared sandwiches, finger foods and snacks. “This is just wonderful. I feel like I’m on vacation already.” They walked into the drawing room, and Uther showed off the spectacular, as yet undecorated, evergreen tree that the gardeners had set up earlier in the week.

“I thought that you and Will would like to place special decorations on the tree to celebrate the solstice tonight or tomorrow, and then after that we can all place the rest of the decorations on the tree,” said Hunith.

“Oh, that will be lovely, Hunith. We’ll start bringing down the boxes and boxes of decorations a little later. I’m sure father has no idea where they are stored.”

They were all gathered around the kitchen table cutting out paper suns from shiny foil papers. There were silver suns and golden ones, blue, red, and even purple suns. Some had many many points, and some had fewer, some were smaller and some were larger, but each one was beautiful. Uther was grateful that Morgana and Will had had the children make the glittered suns at home. Those suns rested in a small box, awaiting the solstice celebration.

Morgana had just proclaimed that there were enough suns, and had started to put the supplies away when the doorbell rang. Uther opened the door to...several feet. The owners of those feet were not immediately clear as their faces were hidden behind bundles and stacks of game boxes. Uther took the boxes which were thrust at him, and found himself face to face with his son. “Father,” said Arthur. And if there was a hint of coolness in his tone, who could really blame him.

“Arthur, welcome. It’s good to see you, son. Merlin, I’m so happy you are here. Come in, come in,” He reached out to shake Merlin’s hand and noticed, as Merlin stepped forward, that Arthur and Merlin had brought Gaius with them. “Gaius, old friend, it is good to see you. Welcome.”

Meanwhile, everyone else had come to the foyer to greet the newcomers. There were hugs all around, and then Hunith showed Gaius to the room that they had set aside for him.


	9. Love At First Sight And Latkes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chanukah, love at first sight, and solstice preparations.

After getting settled in, Arthur and Merlin helped Morgana drag out the boxes of ornaments and decorations, and set them in a corner of the drawing room. By the time they were done, Gwen and Lance had arrived. After greetings all around, Gwen headed up to get their things stashed away in their room, while Lance headed straight to the kitchen with two full grocery bags and a gigantic frying pan. He plopped the groceries on the counter, saying, “Did someone request latkes….um, potato pancakes?”

Uther gave Lance leave to, “Please, use whatever you require,” and Hunith showed Lance everything she thought he might need.

Hunith and Lance had already discussed the timing of the meal. She’d planned a salad and some simple roast chicken so that she could mainly stay out of his way. The salad was already prepared, and the chicken simply needed to be placed in the oven.

“Hello,” greeted a meek voice from the doorway.

“Freya, dear! How are you, love?” said Hunith, bundling Freya into a warm hug.  
Freya just smiled softly. Hunith wished for the day that she would again see Freya look joyful. Losing both her parents in the past year had been brutal. Freya was stronger than she looked, but this year had taken a toll on her. It was a good sign that she was willing to join them today, though that had taken some effort on Hunith’s part.

“Hi Freya!”

“Hi Lance. Is there something I can help with? It’s a little noisy out there, and I like to be busy.”

Lance stood at the sink, sleeves rolled up he was up to his elbows in a sink full of potatoes that he was scrubbing. “Sure! Would you mind peeling potatoes?”

“Yes, of course. I can do that.”

Hunith pointed Freya to the knives, peelers and chopping boards. When things were well under way, Hunith excused herself and went to ask Arthur and Merlin to set the table for fourteen. Elyan would be arriving the next morning. Gwaine and Percy would arrive after dinner, but Hunith thought it was best to set places for them just in case they showed up earlier than expected.

Lance was so kind and easy-going that Freya was able to enjoy his company as she lost herself in the simple repetitive task. The kitchen was warm and homier than the rest of the somewhat overwhelming country house. People wandered in and out to check on their progress and look for snacks or coffee, a glass of juice, or a packet of crisps. One or two children may have been seen hanging around the platters of biscuits. One or two adults may have used those children for cover.  
Freya had only one potato left to peel. Lance was now busily grating the peeled potatoes into a huge bowl. Suddenly, a horrific yowl sounded through the room. Killy was standing in the middle of the kitchen, fluffed out and absolutely furious, and Aithusa was again half-way up the kitchen curtains.

Uther raced into the room after Kilgharrah, scooped him up, and whisked him from the kitchen. “Learned your lesson about jumping up on the counter at least, I see.”

Freya murmured calmly to the little kitten, reaching up slowly. “Come here, little darling, I won’t hurt you. That’s it. I’ll keep you safe.” Aithusa stayed very still as Freya freed her claws from the curtains. She stroked the pure white kitten’s soft fur and was utterly captivated by her bright blue eyes. “You are a little beauty, aren’t you?” she cooed.  
Aithusa purred and nestled into Freya’s arms.

Hunith had entered the room, and both she and Lance had been enthralled as they watched the bond form between Freya and the little kitten. Freya kept cooing to Aithusa as she wandered out of the room with the little kitten in her arms. She had obviously forgotten all about the potatoes, and even the other people in the kitchen. “I’ll take you up to my room and you can play with my knitting. No one needs that silly old hat I started anyway. If you like the yarn, it’s all yours.”

“Well, I’ll be,” said Hunith. “This might be just what the dear girl needs right now. I think we may have just witnessed love at first sight.”

Lance nodded, obviously impressed by the scene. Tears were streaming down his face, but that was just because he was grating the onions into a bowl. He dried his eyes, finished grating the potatoes with Hunith’s help, prepared the simple batter and began to fry. Meanwhile, Hunith placed the chicken in the oven to warm, and began to take out various condiments, sauces and whatnot to serve with dinner.

The table looked lovely. Gwen had surprised Lance by bringing a few Chanukah decorations. She knew how much he appreciated it when she took notice of his holidays and traditions. Though the last night of Chanukah had just passed, they lit the menorah. Everyone was seated, and the salad and roast chicken were already on the table, when Lance entered carrying a tremendous platter of perfectly golden potato pancakes. “The food of my people!” he joked. “When you hear the Chanukah story, you will understand why foods fried in oil, like these latkes, are a traditional Chanukah treat!”

Gwaine and Percy arrived during dinner, just as Lance was beginning to tell the story of Chanukah. They nabbed the last couple of potato pancakes and tucked in.

After the pudding, everyone helped clear the table. Uther, Hunith and Gaius let the young ones do the clean up. They watched the cheerful hustle and bustle.

“Well, that was lovely. I am truly grateful to be here,” said Gaius.

“It really was,” said Uther. “Thank you so much, Hunith. For all of this.”

She smiled at him warmly, and he found himself feeling things he didn’t want to try to identify.

“Truth be told, this is a great gift to me, too. To be with my boys, Gaius, our extended family. I am more than grateful to you, Uther.”

Soon everyone else joined them in the drawing room. Lancelot took out a huge bag of golden chocolate coins. “Yarrow, will you help me? This is called Chanukah gelt. Gelt means gold or money. But these are chocolate. Everyone should get the same number of coins. Thorn can help you.” Yarrow dealt out fourteen coins and then added to each pile one by one. When she was done, Thorn helped her put the piles into little bowls and bring one bowl to each guest.

Lance held up a little four-sided spinning top with a different painted symbol on each side. “Most of you know by know that this top is called a dreidel.” Gwaine and Arthur immediately started hooting and hollering.

“I’ll take you for everything you’ve got, Pendragon.”

“Please, Gwaine. You’re not going to have one single piece of chocolate left when I’m done with you,” shouted Arthur.

Hunith seemed a bit concerned that this behavior might have been disrespectful to Lance’s holiday tradition, until he entered the fray, “Give me a break. The two of you are going home crying. Better hope St. Nick has some chocolate for you, because you’re not going to get any of this when I’m done with you!”

Lance explained that at the beginning of each round, everybody puts one coin into the pot. Then you take turns spinning the dreidel. If the top lands on this symbol ‘Nun’, you get nothing; on this symbol ‘Gimel’, you win the whole pot; on ‘Hey’, you get half the coins in the pot; and on the last symbol ‘Shin’, you have to put one into the pot. Lance had brought two dreidls, so everyone broke up into two groups. The dreidel games were loud and lively. The big winners of the night were Morgana and Merlin, and there may have been some suspicious muttering about ‘luck’ versus magic.

“Mmm, this is such delicious chocolate,” said Morgana, licking her fingers.

“Yeah,” said Merlin, “it’s really good.”

“Mamma,” said Thorn, “remember, sharing is caring.”

Morgana swept Thorn up into a hug and asked him to help her give out the candy. Merlin taunted Arthur and Gwaine for a few moments, dancing around them, holding out chocolate coins as if offering them and then pulling back at the last minute. Finally, with a quick glance, Arthur and Gwaine ganged up on Merlin and tackled him to the ground, tickling him. Arthur sat on his stomach and slowly unpeeled a chocolate coin and savoured it, while Gwaine held Merlin’s arms to the ground. Then he unpeeled the gold foil off another and offered it to Gwaine. “Don’t mind if I do,” said Gwaine, opening his mouth so Arthur could drop the candy in, “thank you kindly, sir.”

“Hey, what about me?” Merlin whined. Arthur leaned down and kissed him, and then they all got up and distributed Merlin’s chocolate. Uther, Hunith and Gaius watched in bemusement. It was clear that this was all par for the course. Chanukah seemed to be an interesting holiday.

Morgana and Will brought out large bowls filled with popcorn and cranberries and handed threaded needles to all and sundry. The next day was slated for the celebration of the solstice. Morgana and Will followed a Wiccan path and called it Yule. Arthur and Merlin celebrated the cycles of the year in an eclectic mix of the pagan ways, influenced by both the Wiccan and the Druid ways. For the Druids, this winter solstice celebration was known as "Alban Arthan", Welsh for "Light of Winter". Much to Arthur’s embarrassment, Merlin insisted on an older interpretation, "Alban Arthuan", meaning "Light of Arthur". In this interpretation, Arthur is symbolized by the Sun. The Sun dies and is reborn, just as the mythical Arthur sleeps deep inside a mountain and will wake again when his people need him. The Wiccan and Druid paths were both based on the cycles of nature and shared many symbols and customs; and the two couples had fun planning the Yule festivities.

Finishing a long strand of popcorn studded with cranberries, Hunith stood up and yawned. “Well my dears, I’m bushed. Who would like to volunteer to help with breakfast tomorrow? I thought we’d start at about eight, and eat by nine?”

“I’d like to help, Hunith. Breakfast is my specialty,” said Freya. She’d been curled up in the armchair for hours, refusing to move as long as Aithusa was asleep in her lap. Now and then Thorn or Yarrow had approached, and she let them pet the sleeping kitten. “Also, I’d like to help you with Aithusa’s medicine, if it’s ok.”

“That would be wonderful, dear. Thank you.” Hunith smiled gently and shared a knowing look with Lance.

“I’ll help too,” said Percival. “I wake up early anyway, and I eat a big breakfast. I’d feel terrible if I didn’t help with some of the work!”

Gwaine burst into Gaston’s song from Beauty and the Beast, “When I was a lad I ate four dozen eggs ev'ry morning to help me get large...and now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs...so I'm roughly the size of a barge!”

Percy blushed as Arthur, Merlin, and Will joined in. Then he shrugged and said, “Anyone want to arm wrestle?” Uther laughed so loudly that everyone was startled. Laughter filled the room and rang through the hallways as everyone headed to their beds. Morgana led the half-asleep Yarrow by the hand as Will carried Thorn, who had fallen asleep on the sofa, up to his bed.  



	10. A Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another guest arrives.

Percy woke early and immediately noticed the light. He carefully climbed around Gwaine so as not to wake him. He stretched and groaned. Once more he wished he had the nerve to just tell Gwaine what he wanted. Because officially they were ‘just’ friends and roommates, Uther had given them each their own rooms.

Unfortunately, the beds were not particularly suitable for couples, and Percy had awoken stiff and achy. Still, he smiled at the quality of the light and rushed to the window to look out. He just knew there’d be snow and grinned to see the glittering lawn stretched out before him.

Percy was battering the french toast, while Freya was keeping an eye on the frying pans. Freya, of course, had made the coffee. In fact, with great forethought, Hunith had asked her to bring one of the large urns from her cafe. As Hunith carried a tray of sliced fruit out to the dining room, she heard a quiet knock on the front door. Wiping her hands on her apron, she went to open the door.

“You must be Elyan! Welcome! You’re just in time. Breakfast will be soon--come, come with me into the kitchen for a moment, and then I’ll show you to your room so you can get settled.”

Elyan followed Hunith to the kitchen, where she checked on the baked eggs.  
“Elyan? Elyan Smith! Is that you?”  
“Gwaine. Oh my god. Gwaine! I haven’t seen you since you moved away.”  
Gwaine smacked his own forehead. “Gwen. Gwen Smith is your baby sister, Guinny. I can’t believe this. I’ve wanted to find you for years. You were the best friend I’ve ever had. I went back to the old neighborhood, but you’d moved.” Gwaine was just staring at his childhood friend.

“Well, get over here,” said Elyan, going in for a hug. “It’s a Christmas miracle!”

Hunith took Elyan up to his room. When he’d gotten settled, he went back to the kitchen and helped set out breakfast, all the while speaking non-stop with Gwaine. As the aromas drifted up the stairs, one by one, the others started to appear for breakfast. Of course everyone wanted to greet Elyan, but after each interruption he and Gwaine picked up where they had left off. When Percival came down, Gwaine introduced him to Elyan. “Percy, this is my best friend ever, Elyan. Elyan, this is my...this is Percy, my roommate.”

Overhearing that exchange, Morgana picked up on the tension in Percy’s posture, and pulled him away to come catch up with her.  
Percy kept peering over at his ‘roommate’. He was obviously miffed.

Gwen and Lance finally made it down to breakfast, looking quite...happy. Gwen was shocked to find that Gwaine, who she’d known through Arthur and Merlin for years, was her big brother’s long lost best friend.  
Breakfast done, Arthur, Merlin, Morgana and Will left to prepare for the Yule festivities, while the others helped clean up.

Will and Merlin brought in the yule log and placed it in the fireplace. Arthur and Morgana strung the tree with fairy lights, but didn’t turn them on yet.

After lunch, Morgana brought out the popcorn garlands and asked everyone to follow her outside to begin the Yule festivities. “As we harvest from Mother Earth so that we may live, we give thanks for all we have been given. We make this offering of fruit and grain to our wild brothers and sisters.” The children were excited to distribute the garlands, which were then draped all around the yews bordering Uther’s kitchen terrace.

Gwen noticed Gaius standing quietly to the side, lost in thought. She stood next to him and slipped her gloved hand into his. Together they watched the shenanigans, as Will boosted Yarrow up on his shoulders so that they could place the highest garland. Of course the others were not to be beaten. Percy was in great demand, due to his height and strength, but much to Uther’s delight, his garland ‘won’ when he tied a little stone to the end of the garland and tossed it as high into the yew as he could. As the others started heading indoors, Gaius said, “It’s such a great pleasure to see you young folk both embracing some of the old ways and developing new ones. I feel quite blessed to be here to see it. My grandmere used to say that solstice snow foretold a joyous new year. May it be so for us all!” Gwen linked her arm through Gaius’, and they headed into the house.

Coats and scarves were deposited in the front hall, and the celebration moved into the drawing room. Merlin poured a small offering of fine brandy over the log and said words of welcome and gratitude to spirits of nature. Arthur lit the Yule log with a charred branch they had saved from last year’s log.

Finally, Will brought out the shiny paper suns. “These are the very shortest days and longest nights of the year. Each autumn, the sun seems to weaken. The long days of summer gone, the nights get longer and longer. Warmth is hard to find, and the green things die and return to the earth. The solstice, or Yule, is the celebration of the beginning of the sun’s return to us. One of the many ways we can think about this is that the sun child is born at Yule, matures throughout the year, and dies with the last harvest at Samhain, or Halloween, only to be reborn and return to us again at Yule. Each and every day, from now until summer, will be a few minutes longer. We celebrate the returning light of the sun. We are grateful for the light and warmth and energy it brings to our lives. We have a lovely bunch of sun decorations we’ve made to celebrate the return of the sun. Come join us in placing the suns on the tree.”

Somehow, this ritual did not develop into a competition. Each guest seemed moved to thoughtfulness. Much care was taken in the placement of the suns. And if a couple of the guests seemed really moved, and someone might have seen Gaius wipe a tear from his eye, or Arthur and Merlin share a quiet kiss after placing a sun together, no one made fun or disturbed the solemn peacefulness of the rite. After all the suns were placed, Will nodded to Morgana, who flipped the switch. Hundreds of little lights twinkled among the suns, reflecting off the shiny paper.

“I’ve got boxes of our ornaments out of storage. And Gwen has also brought some special ornaments. We’ll add those to the tree tomorrow for Christmas Eve!”

Hunith announced that tea would be served at four o’clock, featuring Arthur and Merlin’s fabulous buche de noel. The gorgeous cake, shaped like a Yule log, and decorated with bark made of chocolate shavings and meringue mushrooms was currently on display on the dining room table. “Until then, I’m going to enjoy some fresh air. Would anyone care to walk with me? ”

Uther offered to come along to show Hunith the best places to walk. Gwen and Morgana were settled in under afghans on a loveseat, finally catching up with each other. Freya was occupied trying to help Killy to accept Aithusa, but Killy hissed every time Freya approached with Aithusa, and the little white kitten shook with fear. Gaius wanted some time to finish his crossword puzzle.

“There’s just a bit of frost! We’re still on for footie, right lads?” asked Arthur, grabbing Merlin’s arm as he attempted to slink away.

“Of course,” said Lance, holding up the footie boots he already had in hand.

“Yeah, yeah,” Percy replied, though he was obviously distracted. “Not sure where Gwaine is.”

“Gwaine and Elyan are playing chess in the library,” said Will. “Morgana and I are heading up for a nap, since the kids are going to go with Uther and Hunith.” Morgana’s arm was linked with Will’s, and the two did not look particularly sleepy. “Do you want me to let Gwaine and Elyan know you’re ready to play?”

“No,” said Percy, “I’ll get them.” If it was possible to storm off while trying to appear nonchalant, that’s just what Percival did.

A couple of hours later, hungry guests began to mill around the kitchen and dining room. Freya had made tea, coffee, spiced cider and hot chocolate, but the fabulous Yule log was the main attraction. After tea, several of the adults joined the kids in watching The Polar Express. Gwaine, Percy and Merlin were on dinner duty, and a late supper of hearty vegetable soup and interesting sandwiches on a variety of gourmet bakery breads was served.

After supper, Will and Morgana put the kids to bed. There were plans for a rousing game of Cards Against Humanity. Uther had already excused himself to see to some correspondence in his study. Hunith was knitting, while Gaius was back at his crossword puzzle.

“So Other-mum, Uncle Gaius, umm, we were planning to play this game, Cards Against Humanity, but it can get a little loud and, umm...a little rude, perhaps. Would you prefer we play in another room? Sheesh, it’s not like there’s no place else to go in this shack.”

“Thank you, darling. That’s thoughtful, but for my part, I think I’ll head to bed early tonight.” Hunith rose, gathered up her knitting, and said her goodnights.

“Uncle Gaius?”

“Hmm. Yes. I think I’d like to join you all, if you don’t mind.”

“It really is quite shocking, Gaius,” said Gwaine, “even I am sometimes appalled.”

Gaius raised a single eyebrow. “You young people really have the oddest ideas about your elders. I’ve had a rather extensive amount of exposure and experience,” he said, with a rather disturbing smirk. “I suppose I’ve seen, and maybe even done, things that would curl your toes. Now, deal me in and explain the rules!”

After a couple of rounds, Gaius’ predictions turned out to be true, and no one was feeling inhibited or pulling their punches anymore. The game continued for hours, and if, in all the laughter, anyone noticed the fierce glares that Percival directed at Gwaine, no one mentioned it.

Uther heard faint echoes of the laughter in his study, but he was too caught up in his own thoughts to be distracted. He sat at his desk, hands steepled, staring into space. Eventually, he opened the top left drawer of his desk and withdrew a small portfolio. He opened the portfolio and gazed at the love of his life, Ygraine, Arthur’s mother. He was struck by how young she had been. This picture was the very last picture of her, taken in the weeks before her death, and Arthur’s birth.

_“Ygraine, my beautiful Ygraine. God, you were so young. I look at you now and see a child. We were children. Your Arthur is already seven years older than you ever got to be. And Morgana is ten years older. You know that I love you, right? You know that nothing, no one can ever take your place in my heart. You must know that. Dear God I hope I made you feel loved. I hope you knew. You were everything to me. My sun and my moon. How I wish you were here. I think you would have loved this crazy gathering. I have to admit I’m in over my head. I feel a little lost, and I’m just trying to, as Morgana says, ‘’go with the flow”.  
_

_Grainey, love, I felt young again for a moment today. I threw that garland up in the tree, and I felt like the teenager I was when we met. How you would have laughed. I bet you would have climbed up on my shoulders, and THEN thrown the garland. We made such a perfect team, sweetheart._

For the first time in decades, Uther sobbed. He put down the photo, rested his head on his crossed arms and just sobbed and sobbed. After some time, he dried his eyes and continued speaking with his beloved Ygraine.  


_“I’ve been so dead inside. Oh, Grainey, I really messed up. Oh God I hope you don’t hate me. I was so lost and cold. I had nothing to give. I don’t know if Arthur will ever forgive me. I want so much to make it up to him. Thorn jumped in my lap and hugged me the other day, and my heart broke a little bit, realizing I never let Arthur do anything like that. And then I hurt him so much. He can barely look at me. I gave him a terrible time about marrying Merlin. Oh, I went to the wedding, but I made sure I didn’t smile once. It’s been almost a year, and I know how wrong I was. At least he’s happy. He’s so much happier than I’ve ever seen him, just...not with me._  


_Merlin is a really special young man. I think he’s a lot like his mother, Hunith. There’s a sincerity, and so much kindness. I can tell that he knows I’m trying, and he already forgives me, even if Arthur cannot. Whoever knew kindness could be so overwhelming? So powerful? Kindness and acceptance. It’s like magic. And it reminds me of you. I want to tell Arthur how much he means to me, and how wrong I was.”_  


Tears streamed down Uther’s face as he continued,  


_Ygraine, my darling, would you, could you forgive me if I loved another? I think I want to. For the first time since you...I think I want to try to take a chance. It’s Hunith, Merlin’s kind, gentle, understanding mother._  


_I see Arthur flourishing in his new family. I told Hunith I was grateful for the way she took him into her family. I think you would have been happy to know he was getting some really wonderful mothering. I know it would have comforted your soul to know that. I’ve started to feel something for Hunith. Something I think I want more of. Do you think…?  
_

Uther shook his head, and just collapsed forward onto the desk. Overwhelmed, and unable to cope, all thoughts fled and he fell asleep.  
He woke deep in the night. The house was dark and silent. He felt strangely at peace, as he climbed into his bed for a few hours of sleep.


	11. A Second Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein Uther reaches out, and Percy is fed up.

Uther slept a little later than usual, and awoke feeling a more hopeful than he had for some time. And yet, with some trepidation, he approached Arthur’s bedroom door, which was slightly ajar, and knocked gently. “May I speak with you for a few moments,” he asked, in tones that were unusually diffident.

Merlin was at the desk, using his laptop, while Arthur sat on the bed looking at something on his mobile. Merlin stood, calling to Uther to “please, come in.” Uther stepped into the room, smiled at Merlin, and looked at Arthur, who raised his head from his mobile but did not look directly at his father.

“I was hoping you would be willing to speak with me,” said Uther.

Arthur shrugged. Merlin waved Uther to the chair at the desk. “Arthur, give him a chance,” said Merlin, turning to Uther and offering to leave him to speak with his son in private.

“Ok, I’ll listen, but stay,” ordered Arthur. He bit his lip and reached his hand out to Merlin. Merlin took Arthur’s hand and sat next to him on the side of the bed.

“Of course,” Uther said, “I have things I want to say to both of you, and well--as to what I want to say to Arthur--well, I imagine you two tell each other everything anyway. Please stay.” Uther leaned forward in the chair. His heart was in his mouth, but he knew he needed to do everything he could to try to bridge the distance separating him from his son. “I have many things I want--I need--to apologize for. I know that I cannot expect forgiveness from either of you, but I dearly hope to be able to earn it.”

Arthur’s grip on Merlin’s hand tightened. He had no memory of ever hearing contrition or vulnerability in his father’s voice, and didn’t really know how to process this. Merlin edged as close as possible to Arthur, he untangled his hand from Arthur’s and slid his arm around his husband’s waist, then reached with his other hand across his own body to take hold of Arthur’s hand again. Arthur settled against Merlin and chanced a quick glance at Uther. Again, he was overwhelmed, seeing the same feelings that he heard in his father’s voice etched on his face.

“First, Merlin, I regret terribly the way I treated you. I am truly sorry, and I wish there were a way to take back my words and actions. I am proud to have you as a member of my family. I know that you want only the best for Arthur, and there is no doubt in my mind, seeing you together, that you are the best for Arthur.”

Merlin looked at Uther solemnly, then nodded, and smiled a small smile, gentle, and full of understanding. “Thank you, Uther. That means a great deal to me. I look forward to a fresh start.”

“Arthur, my son,” Uther’s voice cracked, and he paused to regain control. “I can only say that I am sorry that I have never been the father you deserved. I am more than grateful that you have found someone who knows how to love. I know that we can never get back the years that we’ve lost, but I hope that you will give me a chance to try to become the father you always deserved.”

Arthur was holding on to Merlin’s hand for dear life. He felt so lost and confused. His heart hurt and he was remotely aware of tears sliding down his own cheeks. He forced himself to look up at this man who sounded like the father he had always dreamed of, rather than the one he’d actually gotten. Arthur gasped. Never had he seen the man look so broken, and yet hopeful, and never, ever had he seen him cry. Arthur looked to Merlin, who nodded encouragingly, and then stood, went to his father, and pulled him up into a hug. “I would like that very much, dad. I really would.”

Uther ran his hand through Arthur’s hair, and rested it on his cheek. “Your mother would be so very proud of you, my boy. So very proud. As am I. Come. It’s Christmas Eve tonight. Let’s get breakfast and see what everyone is up to. Thank you, Arthur. I promise not to fail you this time.” With that, he turned on his heel and left the room.

  
Stunned, Arthur watched his father leave. Grateful for Merlin’s hand at his elbow, he turned into Merlin’s waiting arms rested his head on his husband’s shoulder. “Did that really happen?”

“It really, really did, my love. It really did.” 

  
Merlin and Arthur were just about to head down to breakfast, when they heard a door slam loudly. “Is that Percival shouting?” asked Merlin. He and Arthur headed out the door towards the source of the noise. Percy truly was a gentle giant, and neither had ever heard him raise his voice in anger.

  
Percy was standing at the top of the stairs, backpack in hand. “Look, I don’t really care how you get home. Maybe your new boyfriend can give you a lift. I’ll be gone when you get there. He can move right in--I guess he already has.” Percy turned to head down the stairs.

  
“You stop right there, you giant idiot! What the hell is going on with you? Are you actually jealous of my childhood mate?” Gwaine was gesticulating wildly and got right in Percy’s face. “Is that what’s been stuck in your craw? Have you gone totally bonkers, man?”

  
As Gwaine got more and more worked up, Percy’s anger fizzled out. “Gwaine, I just can’t do this anymore. I know you never wanted anything serious, _‘just for fun’_ you said, but this just isn’t working for me. I want more, and I’d rather have nothing than keep pretending this is ok with me.” Percy looked at his feet and thought that this was nothing like the confession he’d been planning.

  
Gwaine’s eyes widened, “That was two fucking years ago, you fucking idiot. Of course I want ‘something serious’ with you, you great big arsehole.”

  
Percy looked up from his feet and searched Gwaine’s eyes. “You do?”

  
Gwaine simply nodded. Percy stared, then dropped his backpack right there at the top of the stairs, hoisted Gwaine over his shoulder, and hauled him off to his guest room. They didn’t even notice the crowd that had gathered, or the sound of applause that accompanied their departure.

  
Breakfast was quite jovial, though Percy and Gwaine never made it down to the dining room. “I guess they’re just not hungry this morning,” Morgana told Thorn, who didn’t understand why everyone found that so very funny. After breakfast, everyone scurried off in different directions to take care of last minute Christmas Eve tasks.

  
Uther had never before realized that he didn’t own enough scissors or tape dispensers, as one guest after another asked for those supplies.  
The morning had brought more snow, so after lunch Arthur found their old toboggans. Rubbish bins were stripped of their lids, and a couple of empty cardboard boxes were flattened to be used as impromptu sleds.

  
They trekked out to the hill behind the house. Hunith and Uther watched from the windows as sledding gave way to a massive snowball fight.

  
Uther cleared his throat and said, “I really don’t know how to thank you for what you’ve given me, Hunith.”

  
Hunith smiled.

Uther continued. “I spoke to the boys this morning. I am very hopeful for improvement in our relations.”

  
“Well, that’s just wonderful. I suspect things will keep getting better and better,” said Hunith. Unsure about whether it would embarrass Uther, she didn’t mention that Merlin had already filled her in, and that he too was very hopeful.

  
As the afternoon darkened, the revellers began returning to the house seeking warmth. They found Gwaine and Percy in the kitchen, helping themselves to a tea time breakfast. Freya had large pots of hot cocoa, spiced cider, and mulled wine warming on the stove top, and platters of biscuits and small sandwiches covered the kitchen counter. No one mentioned how close the two men were sitting, or that Percival’s arm was draped around Gwaine’s shoulder. Though the glint in Arthur’s eye indicated that he might be planning some serious ribbing later on, for now he left his two friends in peace.

  
After everyone had warmed up and helped themselves to a nibble, Morgana ordered everyone into the drawing room. “This is going to take a while, so we’d better get started!” Boxes of ornaments were stacked near the tree. “Ok everyone, grab a box--well, gently please--some of these ornaments are quite old and fragile. Remember, work from the inside out, and don’t forget the back!”

  
Every so often Morgana, Arthur, or even Uther would stop to show off an ornament and say something about it: Arthur’s teddy bear ornament he had made from modeling clay when he was in first grade, or the snowflakes Morgana had cut and glittered when she was ten. When Gwen unwrapped a little bundle of tiny, finely crocheted lace stars, she asked about them. Uther may have been a tiny bit choked up as he explained that they had been crocheted by Arthur’s grandmother, Ygraine’s mother. “Arthur, would you like to have these for your own tree?”

  
Arthur shot Uther a grateful glance and took the little packet from his father. He pocketed the stars and reached out to embrace Uther in thanks. _Twice in one day_ , he thought. _Huh._

 

  
When the tree was nearly done, Freya brought out a little box full of origami birds. “My grandmother always had birds on her tree. I made these in her memory. In my family we always made wishes for peace on earth as we placed our birds on the tree. Would anyone like one to put on the tree?” Of course everyone wanted one of Freya’s birds, and once someone stated their wishes for humanity out loud, everyone else followed suit. Uther marveled at what he was sure would become a new family tradition. Merlin nudged Arthur and pointed with his chin as Percival and Gwaine took one of Freya’s birds and placed it on the tree together.

 

Finally, all of the ornaments had been placed on the tree, and the empty boxes were stashed away. Someone turned on the fairy lights and turned off the room lighting. Everyone gathered around to wonder at the lovely sight until supper was ready.

  
Supper was warm toasty garlic bread, a huge gorgeous vegetable lasagna, and a lovely salad with everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. Some fierce negotiations took place as olives were traded for marinated mushrooms, and nuts were swapped for bits of goat cheese. The marinated artichoke hearts were the most valuable item in a trade, and the beets were the least sought after, but even they had their aficionados.

  
Elyan had put his profession as a videographer to good use. He had taken some really nice footage over the previous few days, which he’d been able to edit on his laptop. While the others were decorating the tree, he’d snuck off to edit in the footage from the sledding and snowball fight. After dinner he announced he had a little surprise to share. He hooked up his laptop to Uther’s large screen television and everyone gathered around to watch the video by the twinkling lights of the beautiful tree. “I’ll be adding to this until we leave. Then I’ll add some music and really edit it more carefully, and everyone will get a copy, I promise!” said Elyan.

  
Somehow, during the course of the evening, interesting bundles of all shapes and sizes started appearing under the tree. Most intriguing were some of the interesting cloth wrapped bundles from Gwen and Lance. Gwen had been introduced to the art of furoshiki on a recent trip to Japan, and was now determined to wrap all her gifts in reusable furoshiki cloths. Gaius had wrapped his many small offerings in an assortment of scraps of papers he must have accumulated over the decades. Here and there one of the gifts he’d brought stood out for its vintage style--from the pop art and psychedelic papers from the sixties, to the photorealism of the seventies, or the fractal art of the eighties. The paper concealing each of Gaius’ gifts was a small wonder. Hunith’s gifts were mostly small jars and boxes of homemade treats and mixes stored in decorative tins and jars; they were wrapped in plain butcher paper adorned with brightly colored ribbons.

  
The rest of the evening was spent mostly in quiet endeavors. Morgana and Will put the kids to bed and went in early. Lance and Gwen went off to prepare breakfast casseroles that could simply be put in the oven in the morning for a Christmas breakfast. The kitchen was quite large, but it seemed best to leave the available work space open for Christmas dinner preparation.

  
In the drawing room, there was a quiet game of cards going on in one corner. In another corner, Freya was pretending to herself that she was knitting while Aithusa batted at her yarn. Merlin sat with his feet on the ottoman, reading an old leather-bound novel from Uther’s library. Arthur’s head rested in his husband’s lap, as he read something on on his tablet. Meanwhile, Uther, Hunith and Gaius chatted in the kitchen over one of Gaius’ herbal tisanes, and then said their goodnights and headed to their rooms.

 

Much later, in the wee hours of the morning, Uther crept downstairs quietly carrying a large paper bag full of items to place in the Christmas stockings Hunith had bought for each guest. He found Hunith herself, standing at the entrance to the drawing room--just taking in the tableaux before her. The room was so very peaceful, lit only by the embers of the dying fire and the sparkling lights on the tree. Freya was curled around Aithusa in their favorite armchair. Merlin and Arthur were still on the sofa, but instead of holding the book he’d held before, Merlin’s hands were buried in Arthur’s hair, and they were both fast asleep.

Hunith slipped her hand into Uther’s, as they took in the peaceful scene for some moments. Finally, she gave Uther’s hand a squeeze and gently pulled away. “I didn’t realize you also had gifts for their stockings,” she whispered.

  
Uther smiled a little sheepishly. “I was in town and saw some things I thought everyone might like.”

  
Hunith and Uther filled the stockings. “Should we wake them?” asked Uther.

 

“Oh, yes. They won’t thank us in the morning if they sleep like this all night. I’ll wake Freya, and you wake the boys.”

  
Uther turned towards the sofa and froze in place. Arthur looked so very, very young. And Uther had no memory of his son ever looking so happy and at peace. He gently woke the two men, and stayed to turn off the lights after everyone had headed up the stairs. _“Ygraine, do you see? He’s happy, love. He’s really happy.”_


	12. Perfect Presents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gifts all around!

Christmas morning was grey and rainy, but the house was warm and bright and cheerful. Candles and fairy lights, laughter and conversation, brightly wrapped gifts and excitement chased away any tendrils of gloom. The house was filled with the aromas of hot coffee and the casseroles that were warming in one of the two ovens. The turkey was already roasting, while the ham and nut-loaf were ready to go into the other later on. Hunith directed a small crew, including Uther, in peeling potatoes, paring brussel sprouts, and performing other preparations for Christmas dinner.

“Good morning, everyone! The kids are begging. I told them we could rouse all the sleepyheads soon so that we can eat breakfast and get to the gifts. Would that be alright?”

“Absolutely, my dear. Everything is right on schedule. Everyone has been so helpful--I can hardly find anything to do myself!”

Morgana gave the word, and Thorn and Yarrow went tearing through the house at precisely nine o’clock am. “Breakfast in ten minutes! Wear your pajamas! Breakfast in ten! Up and at ‘em! Wake up Lazy Daisies!”

The kids herded everyone into the dining room, and had to be discouraged from nagging everyone to eat faster. Breakfast was delicious, if a little rushed, and some of the adults were still nursing cups of hot coffee as they gathered in the living room.

Hunith and Uther handed out the stockings. It seemed some of the others had also made their way down during the night to sneak assorted gag gifts into some of the stockings. Uther asked Merlin if he would distribute the gifts, and he could tell that both Merlin and Arthur took the gesture the way it was meant, as a sign of acceptance into the family. To everyone’s great delight, Merlin used his magic to make Thorn and Yarrow’s gifts zip around the room, before landing at their feet with a burp or a sneeze.

There were fuzzy socks and sweaters, books and DVDs. There were Hunith’s biscuits and soup mixes, homemade jams and jellies. There were Gaius’ teas and tisanes and herbal remedies. Freya’s mittens and scarves and hats were a big hit. But among all the lovely presents, a few stood out. Yarrow and Thorn were thrilled with their new bicycles and scooters, books and art supplies. As always, Uncle Arthur and Uncle Merlin’s gifts were highly anticipated and much appreciated by the children. “Spatterpaint and a spy kit,” screeched Yarrow, “Oh thank you Uncles Merthur! You’re the best! I’ve wanted this all year!”

Morgana huffed and glared at her brother.

“Yay,” yelled Thorn, jumping up and down. “A trumpet AND a drum set!”

Morgana hissed, and Will visibly restrained her. He whispered something into her ear, and they _both_ started cackling in a most disturbing way.

Thorn and Yarrow ran to hug and kiss their uncles and then marched around the room chanting, “Uncles Merthur are the best!”

Merlin continued handing out the gifts. “Arthur, this one is for you from me.” Arthur opened the large box and found several smaller parcels within. His smile grew wider and wider, as  one by one, he pulled out: a straw hat, swimming trunks, sunscreen with aloe, Fodor’s Travel Guide to Tahiti, and a pair of very cool and rather expensive sunglasses.

“Let someone else take a turn handing out gifts. Open yours from me now,” said Arthur, getting up and handing Merlin a bulky box.“This never seems to get old for you,” groused Merlin, unwrapping the third box within a box within a box. Finally, within the fourth box, Merlin found a small jewelry box and an envelope. He opened the envelope to find their tickets to Tahiti accompanied by a card faced with a photo of an idyllic beach. The card read, _Beloved, I can’t wait to go to Tahiti with you, though every day is already paradise with you._ Tears filled Merlin’s eyes as he flew at Arthur and dragged him into a hug. “You bastard! You just had to find a way to make me cry in front of everyone!”

Arthur kissed him and ordered him to finish opening his gift. Merlin gasped when he opened the jewelry box. For years, Merlin had dreamt of a dragon.  One day he had awoken from such a dream and spent hours capturing that dragon in pencil. He had drawn a border of Celtic knotwork around the dragon, and kept the drawing on his desk. The platinum band within the box contained an exact replica of his dragon, and the wide band was bordered with the same Celtic knotwork. Merlin just shook his head in disbelief, staring at Arthur. “This is the best Christmas ever,” he declared.

There were no shortage of touching gifts that day. Hunith opened her gift from Uther to find an art book full of gorgeous paintings of flowers. There was an envelope tucked into the book. Inside, a letter from a florist  indicated that she would receive a fresh bouquet of flowers every week for the following year. The letter was placed inside a card from Uther which read:

_Dear Hunith,_

_I can never thank you enough. I hope these flowers will brighten your days and give you a fraction of the hope you have brought to mine._

_Yours with the fondest admiration,_

_Uther_ ~~_Pendragon_ _._ ~~

Hunith bit her lip, then raised her eyes, and smiled warmly at Uther. “I love this, and I hope you like my gift nearly as well. You are a kind man, Uther PENDRAGON.”

Uther opened the brown paper parcel from Hunith, and found a lovely notebook.  The pages were filled with Hunith’s neat handwriting. Interspersed with her wonderful recipes, there were pages with thoughtful sayings and her own lovely little drawings.  “Hunith, my dear, this is absolutely lovely.”

Hunith sat down by Uther’s side and spent some time telling him about the recipes and answering questions about her little drawings. Then she gathered up her crew to finish the preparations for Christmas Dinner.

“Arthur,” purred Morgana. She seemed to have appeared from nowhere. “Revenge is sweet. You won’t know when and you won’t know where, but there _will_ be consequences, brother dear.”  

He couldn’t completely suppress a shudder, though he did his best to cover it up with bravado. “Bring it on. Give it your best shot.”

“Oh, don’t doubt it. I will.”

Christmas dinner was gorgeous. And when everyone was full, and the coffee and pudding had been served, Percy  asked Uther if he could make his announcement.  “Of course, lad, tell us your news,” said Uther.

Percy stood up and pulled Gwaine up to his feet. Gwaine shrugged  and smirked just a bit, as their friends started hooting and hollering. “After two years of living together, albeit in some stupid form of denial, we have decided we can barely wait to get married.”

Gwaine added, “We’re going to try to make arrangements for some time in January, and you are all invited--that is, as soon as we figure out the date and place!”

Toasts were made. The ribbing that had been postponed began in earnest, and a wonderful time was had by all.  The evening was spent talking, watching a few Christmas classics, and playing cards and board games. Leftovers were plentiful, and there were a few raids on the fridge later in the evening.

 


	13. Goodbyes For Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Departures and new beginnings.

Boxing Day was also the first day of Kwanzaa. Before bed, Gwen had set the dining table with some of the symbolic Kwanzaa decorations she had brought with her from America. She set a special mat on the table in place of a centerpiece. At the center of the mat a kinara held seven candles--one for each night of the holiday. Gwen wrote out cards, one with each of the principles of Kwanzaa, and placed them on the place mat, along with some other symbolic items.

Hunith came down on Boxing Day morning to find Freya making coffee.  
“Good morning, dear. I’ve wanted to ask you something.” Freya stopped what she was doing, giving Hunith her full attention. “I was wondering if you might like to have Aithusa to keep. You have been taking wonderful care of her, and I don’t really think she would put up with being separated from you.”

At that, Freya flung her arms around Hunith and clung to her. “Really truly? I can have her? Are you sure?”

Hunith smoothed Freya’s hair, and said, “I’m sure, Freya. The little imp has clearly made her choice.”

“This is the best Christmas present ever.” Freya’s eyes were shining, and for at least a moment Hunith saw the kind of happiness on her face that she’d not seen for a long time.  
*****************  
“So, as most of you know, I learned about Kwanzaa when I was at uni in the U.S. Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday that I wanted to bring home to England. This candleholder is called the kinara, and it holds one candle for each night of the holiday. Each night celebrates a different principle. We normally would light the first candle tonight, but since we are all here now, I thought we could light it together. The principle for the first night is umoja, which means unity. I’ve written the other principles on cards I’ve placed on some of your plates. Would you take turns reading them?”

After all the cards had been read, Gwen thanked everyone. “I fell in love with this holiday. I really appreciate you all allowing me to make it part of our extended family celebrations.” She glanced at Lance, and he nodded at her. “Especially as I really want Kwanzaa to be part of our little one’s life,” said Gwen, unconsciously running her hand over her belly.

It took a minute for that to sink in. Elyan got it first. “Oh my god, I’m going to be an uncle!” There were questions and congratulations, and offers of advice and support. 

“Morgana, I’ll be counting on you to help advise me on...well, everything!” said Gwen.

“I’m going to be an auntie!” Morgana crowed.

Gwen looked around the room, “I feel so blessed knowing that this child will have so much love and support.”

Eventually, everyone drifted off to pack up their belongings. A big group stroll was scheduled for noon, and then there’d be lunch. The departures began shortly after. Uther stood at the door and warmly thanked each guest for coming. He invited each and every one to please come back again. “I would be so delighted to have you here again.” 

As Gwaine and Percy prepared to leave, Uther pulled them aside and handed them a long envelope. “Please accept this wedding gift from me. I thought this might help you with your honeymoon. I wish you every happiness together.”

Hunith gave Freya the cat carrier for Aithusa. Kilgharrah sat in an upstairs window and gave a final hiss and yowl as he watched her being carried out the door.

The others stayed and watched football. Uther stayed with them, encouraging Arthur to tell him all about his favorite team and players.  
Arthur sat on the sofa leaning against Merlin, who looked over his head, and, cheeky as ever, gave Uther a thumbs up as he mouthed the words, “You’re doing great!” Uther scowled and glanced away, but when he turned back it was clear he was more than a little pleased.

 

Merlin wasn’t really a big football fan, so he and Morgana went around the house checking for messes. Everyone had been great, but they wanted to leave things nice for Uther. Eventually, the house was set to rights, care packages were doled out, and everyone was getting loaded into their cars. Lance and Gwen were taking Gaius home. Morgana and Will bundled the kids into the car and said their goodbyes.

“Goodbye, other-mother, I’ll call you Sunday,” he said, giving Hunith a bear hug that lifted her off her feet. “Goodbye, sir, thank you so much for having us all. It was wonderful.”

“Will, you are my daughter’s husband and the father of my grandchildren. It’s been ten years. I’m sorry I’ve never said this before, but I think you should call me Uther, or, if you like, feel free to call me Dad or Grandad. You are my family too. Ok, son? Hmm. And close your mouth before the flies get in!”

 

Arthur and Merlin were the last to leave. Arthur hung back as Merlin said goodbye to his mother. 

“Dad…”

“Son.”

“Thank you for doing this. It was wonderful.”

“It was my great pleasure. I hope to be permitted to do it again.”

“I think everyone felt very welcomed...I felt very welcomed.”

“Arthur, I want you to always feel at home here. I hope you believe that.”

“You are changing.”

“Yes, I am. I’m trying. For your mother’s memory, for myself, for you...I just hope it will be enough. I love you, Arthur--very much. I hope you know that.”

Arthur hugged his father, and for the first time in memory, Uther hugged him back. “I love you too, Dad,” he said, “I love you too. Let’s talk soon.”

Arthur turned to leave, but Uther called him back. “Arthur, I want you to know your mother would be very, very proud of you. I’m sorry that my own pain kept me from speaking of her with you. If you want to see photos, or talk about her...well, I’m finally ready. And I really am very sorry it’s taken me so very long.”

Arthur swallowed hard, and nodded at Uther. “Thank you, Dad. Yes, I would like that very much.” 

Uther and Hunith watched as their boys drove away. 

“It’s always a bit of a heartbreak when they leave, isn’t it?” asked Hunith. “You did a wonderful thing Uther.” 

Uther just looked at Hunith. “Before you leave...may I ask...would you, by any chance...would you be free to celebrate New Year’s Eve with me? We could go out...anywhere you like, really...or we could stay in. I feel like I’m starting on a new adventure, and I’d really like to start this new year with you.”

“I would love to spend the new year with you,” said Hunith. She stepped closer to Uther, put her hand on his cheek, and pulled him into a lovely kiss. It was a kiss that both thrilled and soothed Uther’s heart. It felt like both wanting and having at the same time. It felt like love and passion and home and family and hope. And Uther knew that the new year was going to be truly wonderful. 

The End  
(Recipes and footnotes follow!)


	14. Russian Tea Cake/Mexican Wedding Cookie Recipes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A US and a UK recipe for Mexican Wedding Cookies...which are also known as Russian Tea Cakes, Snowballs, etc.
> 
> The first recipe is tried, true and much loved, but US measures. The second is in UK measurements, but untried by me. The cooking time looks too long. (You can find baking conversion tables online!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are more delicious if you don't overcook them! Make sure to take them out before the tops do more than just begin to brown...the bottoms will already be beginning to brown.

Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe  
Ingredients:  
2 cups flour  
1/2 cup sugar  
1 cup butter  
1 cup ground or very finely chopped walnuts  
1 teaspoon vanilla  
powdered sugar

Preparation:  
Cream the butter, vanilla and sugar. Add the flour and the chopped walnuts. Roll about 24 walnut-sized balls of dough in your hand. Bake at 350 degrees F for 13-15 minutes (or until just very lightly golden on top...they'll be brown on the bottom). Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, and while still warm, roll the cookies in powdered sugar  
.

Note: I've never had a problem with these spreading, but if they spread too much 1) make sure to preheat oven and 2) Chilling the cookies for a little while before baking should help.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************  
Here is a UK version of a similar recipe. 

(Untried!)

UK Version  
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/11026/best-mexican-wedding-cakes.aspx  
Best Mexican Wedding Cakes  
Ingredients  
Serves: 40  
350g unsalted butter  
100g icing sugar  
3/4 teaspoon salt  
220g finely ground almonds (I like using walnuts)  
4 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract  
375g sifted plain flour  
5 tablespoons icing sugar for rolling

Method  
Prep:45min › Cook:15min › Extra time:1hr › Ready in:2hr  
Preheat oven to 170 C / Gas 3.  
Cream butter in a bowl, gradually add icing sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add almonds and vanilla. Blend in flour gradually and mix well.  
Shape into balls (or crescents) using about 1 teaspoon for each biscuit. Place on ungreased baking trays, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Do not brown. Cool slightly, then roll in the extra icing sugar.


	15. Footnotes/References!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Links to various customs

Here are some other footnotes for some of my sources, in case you’d like more information:  
On modern Druidry:

http://www.druidry.org/druid-way/teaching-and-practice/druid-festivals/winter-solstice-alban-arthan/

https://druidnetwork.org/files/sdf/sdf-winter-solstice-litergy.pdf

On Chanukah:  
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/how-to-play-dreidel/

On Morgana's kids' names:  
Yarrow is named for both the healing properties of yarrow, and the use of yarrow in the I Ching, a Chinese system of divination. Hawthorn is named for the protective and magical qualities attributed to the Hawthorn tree.

Uses and symbolism of Yarrow  
https://whisperingearth.co.uk/2011/09/28/the-multiple-benefits-and-uses-of-yarrow/

Uses and symbolism of Hawthorn  
http://www.thegoddesstree.com/trees/Hawthorn.htm

Wiccan Yule  
http://www.sacredearthjourneys.ca/blog/traditions-and-symbols-of-yule/

Buche de Noel/Yule Log Cakes  
https://www.thoughtco.com/setting-up-a-yule-altar-2562996  
Images of Yule Log Cake (Buche de Noel)

https://www.google.com/search?q=yule+log+buche+de+noel&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjCrq75p_vXAhUlSN8KHZM5BicQ_AUICigB&biw=1536&bih=739

Furoshiki (Japanese Cloth Wrapping)  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furoshiki The Japanese art of wrapping packages with cloth. It’s lots of fun and great for the environment!

**Author's Note:**

> You wonderful ones will be named later after I de-anon:  
> _____________, thank you so very much for beta-ing this from start to finish, and even more, for holding my hand along the way. (Is that last comma ok?) I learn a lot from working with you, even if I give you a hard time sometimes. I truly appreciate your willingness to help. You deserve a special fandom award, both for all the beta work you do, but also for building this community by constantly encouraging us to connect with each other via comments, chatzy, etc. 
> 
> _______________, your enthusiasm and joyful appreciation helped me through some of my roughest rough spots when I was frozen with insecurity! I doubt you really know how special you are!
> 
> _______________, your help was invaluable in so many ways. I was so lost and unable to latch on to anything. You are a brilliant brain-stormer. Your insightful critique has been invaluable in helping me go deeper in my writing. Also, thanks so much for this lovely title!
> 
> And to all you lovelies at Chatzy who kicked me out of chat when I needed to go write, or who sprinted with me, told me I could do it, answered my questions about writing, etc. I can't thank you all enough for the help and support!
> 
> Dear Readers: Thanks so much for reading! If you'd like to check out the wonderful community at the Merlin_Chat, here's the information. http://merlin-chat.livejournal.com/488.html  
> Join us for rewatches, sprints, far-ranging conversation, story recs, etc.
> 
> Comments are more than welcome!


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